Stevia
is a perennial plant, but can be grown as an annual or perennial
depending on the growing region. Today, the plant is primarily grown
commercially in South America and Asia for the sweet constituents in its
leaves. Stevia typically is grown to 1 meter in height before the plant
is hand-harvested and its leaves dried.
The
sweetness found in the stevia plant is released by steeping its dried
leaves in water, filtering and separating the liquid from the leaves and
stems, and further purifying the plant extract with either water or
food grade alcohol – all conventional plant extraction methods. The
result is a naturally sourced, high intensity sweetener that does not
impact blood glucose levels.
For
decades, high purity stevia extracts have been approved for use in
foods and beverages in Japan. Positive safety opinions from global food
safety authorities, including the World Health Organization/Joint Expert
Committee on Food Additives, the European Food Safety Authority, and
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, are opening markets for this new
and exciting sweetener.
